Carrying kit



Feb. 24, 1959 s. L. SOLA EITAL s s R v o 5 M MAR w N .LE R E? M W T um am A 4 a" v C V: lillilllnn l L a 4 u I H CARRYING KIT Filed Sept. 17, 1957 @FIG. 5

United States Patent 2,875,010 CARRYING KIT Samuel L. Sola and Kara Crocker, Los Angeles, Calif.,

assignors to Townsend Engineered Products Incorporated, a corporation of California Application September 17, 1957, Serial No. 684,553 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-20 0) This invention relates generally to an improved carrying kit for conveniently transporting specified files and as sociated working material. More particularly, it has to do with a kit incorporating features which enable the kit itself to serve as a working area for rapid and efiicient handling of the contents thereof.

In the co-pending patent application of Hugh C. Mc- Donald, Serial Number 685,497, filed September 23, l957, for Identification System, there isv disclosed an improved method of identifying persons. The effectiveness and efiiciency with which this method may be employed depends in large part upon the proper organization of the various files and other associated material necessary in carrying out the steps of the method. Inasmuch as the described identification system set forth in the above identified co-pending application may be employed in remote half sections hinged together along rear adjacent edges and first and second upper half sections also hinged along the same rear adjacent edges for swinging movement about a vertical axis. The upper sections are also hinged about horizontal axes to the lower sections in a mannersuch that swinging movement of these sections about the' locations, for example, out in the field at the scene of an accident or in an automobile, it is important that all es sential'files and papers necessary for carrying out the method be available in a single composite unit for easy access. It is also preferable that such composite unit also include means providing a working area for carrying out p the various method steps. To this end, it has been necessary to create a specialized type of carrying kit for accommodating the various files, associated with the method. Accordingly, a preferred embodiment ofthe. present invention will be described for accomplishing the above. understood .thatthe invention will have wide applicability for carrying other files which may be employed in connection with different operations.

' With the above in mind, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide an improved carrying kit which is portable in size and thus may be easily transported from one place to another and yet which may be opened by means of a compound hinging arrangement to Nevertheless, it should be in connection with a carrying kit for easy manual access to various files carried therein.

' Another object is to provide a kit which may be separated into two halves which in themselves constitute closed units so that each unit can be operated independently of the other and more readily fitted into a briefcase or the like if desired.

Another object is to provide a carrying kit of the above type which includes means constituting a structural part of the kit adapted to serve as a working area formanipulation of the various files or other contents within the container.

Still another object is to provide a carrying kit of the above type which provides suitable compartments upon opening of the same whereby receiving receptacles are provided for various files after they have been processed and thus no auxiliary working space is required other than that provided by the kit itself.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are attained, briefly, by providing an elongated kit structure formed essentially of first and second lower vertical axis places them in side by side position and subsequent swinging movement of the upper half sections about the horizontal axes completely opens the kit to expose four compartments opening upwardly. This latter downward swinging movement of the upper half sections simultaneously rigidly locks the half sections in their open position so that accidental closing of the low half sections about the vertical hinge axis is avoided.

.'The kitlalso includes suitable working trays hinged to the lower front edges of the lower half sections when the same are swung open to side by side relationship whereby these trays may be swung downwardly to provide a relatively large working area for handling the various files or other contents of the kit.

Preferably, the vertical hinging of the half sections include removable hinge pins so that the half sections may be separated into separate units upon removal of the pins. The trays in their up positions on each half sectionserve to close the front openings after separation of the half sections so that independent units are provided.

A better understanding of this compound hinging arrangement and other kit features will be had by referring to the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the carrying kit and infwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective front view of the kit in closed position either for storage or easy carrying by a person;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating a rear view of the kit;

Figure 3 illustrates the kit in partially opened position;

Figure 4 illustrates the kit in completely opened posi tion; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the working trays incorporated in the kit.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the kit comprises generally an elongated box structure divided by a vertical dividing plane designated in Figure 2 as P-l passing longitudinally through the center or" the kit and a horizontal plane P-2 passing transversely through the kit intermediate its top and bottom, to define four box-shaped sections. As shown, these box shaped sections-comprise lower half sections 10 and 11 and upper half sections 112 and 13.

As best seen in Figure 2, the rear adjacent edges of the lower half sections 10 and 11 are hinged together about a vertical axis V as by first hinge means 14 held together by a hinge pin 14. Similarly, the upper half sections 12 and 13 are also hinged at their adjacent vertical rear edges along the same vertical axis V as by a secondhinge means 15 also held together by a hinge pin 15. The lower half section 10 and upper half section 12 are also hinged together for swinging movement about a horizontal axis as indicated by a third hinge means 16 in Figure l, and finally the other lower and upper half sections 11 and 13 are hinged for swinging movement about a horizontal axis by a fourth hinge means 17 as shown in Figure 2. As also shown in both Figures 1 and 2, the upper half sections 12 and 13 may be provided with suitable carrying handles 18 and 19 illustrated in a folded down position. The front adjacent vertical edges of the lower and upper half sections may be secured in closed position as by suitable snap fasteners F.

Referring now to Figure 3, the kit is shown in partially open position wherein the upper and lower half sections have been swung about the vertical axis V into side by side relationship. When the half sections are in this position, the third and fourth hinge means 16 and 17 are may be used,

z I A brought into axial alignment coinciding with a horizontal axis'H as'indicated in Figure '3. In such position, "the upper half sections 12 and 13 may thenbe swung downwardly about this horizontal axis to assume a completely open position as illustrated in "Figure 4. In this downward position the lower half sections are held locked in their ,open position so that a rigid unit is provided. A pair of working trays 2t) and 21 are hinged to the inner front edges oflthelower half sections as at 22 and 23, respectively, and may be swung downwardly to a level positionas shown. Thesehinges are secured by removable hinge pins 22 and 23 so that'thc trays may be completely removedif desired. Over-center locking straps 8-1 and S--imay1alsobe provided for locking the trays in their downward position. These straps may be unhooked from interior pinson thehalf sections it the. trays are removed.

"With the kit completely opened asillustrated inFigure 4 ,it willbenoted that there are providedfourmajor cornpartments Z4,. 25,126wand 27 which may contain files. Preferably; the variousfiles associated with the identification; system referred to in tlieabove mentioned co-pending application are retained in the forward half section compartments '24 and 25. The rear compartments'z and 2"! if desired, for temporarily storing miscellaneous files or other materialsthat are not being used at the'particular moment in carrying out the method. Also, the interior of'the trayslt) and'21 in their horizontal'folded down positions provide a convenient working area for examining the various files removed from the compartments 24 and 25. The trays also serve to provide-a large seatingarea for the kit when held in their downposition by the'locking straps.

Figure illustrates the trays 2t and 21 in plan view wherein it will be noted that there is provided an indexin'gprojection' 2S. and a guiding projection 29 spaced along the inside edge of the tray 20. These indexing and guide projections are useful in suitably aligning various foils constituting parts of the files in the identification system referred to in the co pending application. One such foil is illustrated at 30 and is notched along its left hand marginal edge near the top to receive the indexing projection 28. Thus, the relative vertical position of the foilmay be adjustedas indicated by the dotted lines byselecting either the upper or lower notch for receiving the projection 28.

The right hand tray 21 serves to retain temporarily various foils during an analysis step of the identification method. Foils that are completely discarded may ternporarily be stored in the rear compartments 26 and 27 illustrated in Figure '4 and after the complete identification procedure is finished, these files may then be inserted into their proper places in the frontco-mpartrnents 24 and 25.

The trays are of sufficient depth that other materials such as catalogs and the like may also be stored therein.

From the above description, it will be evident that the carrying kit in closed position constitutes a compact unit which is readily portable from one place to another. Further, as a consequence of the compound hinging arrangement, the various half sections may be completely unfolded and the Working trays also folded down and locked in a horizontal position wherein the kit constitutes a'rigid structure which may be held on ones lap with sufficient working space'for an analysis of the various files therein even in crowded areas or out, in the field.

Further, the removable vertical hinge pins 1.4 and '15 maybe removed and the kit divided in half at the vertical plane P-l to provide two independent half units. The tray associated-with each half unit in this instance'serves as a front cover and may be folded downwardly to open the half unit and'simultaneously provide a working area;

While the invention has been described in connection with the making of identifications in accordance with the co-pending application set forth above, it will be evident that the various features of the kit lend themselves to adaptation to other files .and information material which it is desired to transport ina portable manner and yet which is of a nature requiring analysis at on-the-spot moments wherein, conventional working such as a deskand chair are not; available. Accordingly, while the invention has been described with respectto a particular application, thecarrying kit is notto be thought of as limited to the specific embodiment chosen for illustrative purposes.

What is claimed is:

1. A kit comprising: an elongated box structure divided by a vertical dividing plane passing lODgitudinally through the center of thekit and by a horizontal dividing plane passing transversely through the kit intermediate its top andbotto n, to define four box-shaped sections compris-' ing first and second lower half sections and first and sec- 0nd upper half sections; first hinge means hinging together the adjacent rear vertical edges of said lower'half sectionsbelow said horizontal dividingplanegsecond hinge means. in axial alignment with said first hinge meanshingingtogether the adjacent rear vertical edges of said upper'half sections above said? horizontal dividing plane; thirdfhinge means hinging the upper horizontal side edge of one of said lower half sections to .the'lower adjacent horizontal side edge of the corresponding upper one of said half sections; and fourth hinge means hinging the upper horizontal opposite side edge of the other of said lower half sections to'the opposite lower adjacent horizontal side edge of the other of said upper half sections, the axes of said third and fourth hinge means being parallel to each other and lying in saidhorizontal plane when said kit is closed, and beingin axial alignment with each other when said lower and upperhalf sections are simultaneously swung about said first and second hinge means into side-by-side relationship, whereby when in said relationship said Upper half sections are free to be simultaneously swung about said third and fourth hinge means to expose the complete interior of said kit.

2. A kit according to claim 1, in which said first and second hinge means include removable hinge pins whereby said half sections may beseparated into independent half units by removing saidhinge pins.

3. Afkit according to claim 2 including tray members hinged to the lower front edges of said lower half sections when the latter are swung into side-by-side position, wherebysaid tray members may be swung downwardly to provide a working area for the contents of saidkit.

4. .A'kit according to claim'3 in .which one of said tray members includes an indexing projection along one inside edge and a guiding projection on said same edgespaced from said indexing projection a given distance.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 25,927 Voorheis Oct.25, 1859 309,738 Pell Dec. 23, 188.4 1,900,793 Broughton Mar. 7, 1933 2,630,362 Bass Mar. 3, I953 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,164 'Great Britain 1895 conveniences; 

